Police block GBM, supporters for an hour at Court

Police today blocked a group of UPND supporters led by party vice-president Geoffrey Mwamba from entering the Magistrate Court complex.

GBM and the UPND supporters wanted to go and witness a contempt of court case in which party president Hakainde Hichilema is a complainant.

The police however stopped the official and kept the supporters outside the court complex for close to an hour before they finally allowed him in.

In this case, HH wants the Magistrate’s court to cite Religious Affairs Minister Godfridah Sumaili for contempt after she made a statement that the UPND leader was facing treason charges because he pushed President Edgar Lungu too far.

HH was moved this morning from Kabwe’s Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison and arrived at the Lusaka magistrate court complex around 09:30 hours. He was driven in a blue prison truck popularly known as Kasalanga, under heavy police guard.

The contempt case was scheduled to start at 12:00 hours before Lusaka magistrate Ireen Wishimanga.

When GBM and other UPND supporters arrived at the court complex around 11:30, police refused to allow them in.

GBM explained that he was willing to park his car outside the court premises so that he and his supporters could walk in, but the police officers said they could only allow him alone.

“I cannot go in leaving my security outside. These are my security people why are you refusing us to enter?” GBM asked

The officers however said they had enough security personnel among them that would provide security to GBM.

GBM insisted that he was not going to enter leaving the cadres outside, and at the time of writing he was still kept outside the Magistrate’s Court complex.